Institut für Religionswissenschaft

Three Task Forces

To put our intellectual agenda into research practice, this project is structured in three Task Forces (TFs) and eight Research Components (RCs) that integrate the main themes. One PI will act as coordinator and leader of each Task Force. Although all the TFs involve mixed methodology and an interdisciplinary team, TF1 is predominantly historical-philological, TF2 is primarily anthropological, and TF3 relies more heavily upon material and visual culture analysis. In addition to the three PIs, Lead research collaborator Acri and Senior advisor and researcher Bühnemann are in charge of specific Research Components in their domains of expertise.

TASK FORCE 1: Roots and Branches: Emergence and Circulation of Mantras

Led by PI Gerety in collaboration with Andrea Acri

This task force investigates the origins, development, and diffusion of mantras across different cultures, languages, and time periods. It seeks to understand how mantras have evolved and spread, their connections to power and patronage, and their prominence beyond their original contexts.

TASK FORCE 2: Sonic Efficacy

Led by PI Lorea

This task force focuses on the role of sound in religious practices, examining how mantras and other sonic elements contribute to spiritual and communal experiences.

TASK FORCE 3: Materiality of Mantras

Led by PI Borayin Larios with SR Gudrun Bühnemann

This task force investigates the material aspects of mantras, including their visual, embodied, and digital forms, and their impact on individuals and communities.

Each research component is designed to address specific aspects of the study of mantras, from their historical roots and cultural diffusion to their material and digital representations. The combined efforts of these task forces aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex role of mantras across various contexts and media.

TASK FORCE 1: Roots and Branches: Emergence and Circulation of Mantras

Led by PI Gerety in collaboration with Andrea Acri

This task force investigates the origins, development, and diffusion of mantras across different cultures, languages, and time periods. It seeks to understand how mantras have evolved and spread, their connections to power and patronage, and their prominence beyond their original contexts.

RC1: Vedic Mantras: Tradition and Innovation 

  • Objective: To explore the historical development of Vedic mantras and their impact on later traditions.
  • Methodology:
    • Textual Analysis: Study of Vedic texts, including the Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa and Jaiminīya Upaniṣad-Brāhmaṇa.
    • Fieldwork: Investigation of Vedic practices in South India, focusing on the Nampūtiri and Cōḻīya Brahmin communities.
    • Ethnographic Documentation: Use of sound recording, photography, and video to document Vedic rituals.
  • Outcomes:
    • Detailed analysis of Vedic ritual practices and their evolution.
    • Digitized texts and audiovisual materials for public access.
    • Contributions to the Roots of Mantra sourcebook and other publications.

RC2: Tantric Mantras Across Boundaries

  • Objective: To examine the transcultural and transreligious dimensions of Tantric mantras.
  • Methodology:
    • Textual Research: Analysis of Sanskrit and vernacular Tantric literature from medieval to modern periods.
    • Field Research: Study of mantras in Southeast and East Asia, including their adaptation in Old Javanese texts and contemporary contexts.
    • Collaboration: Work with experts on Tantric traditions and translations of relevant texts.
  • Outcomes:
    • Comprehensive study of Tantric mantras’ migration and adaptation.
    • Publications on the role of mantras in Southeast and East Asia.
    • Translation and study of mantric literature in Classical Chinese.

RC3: Mantras and Yoga

  • Objective: To investigate the role of mantras in early Yoga and their evolution through Tantric traditions.
  • Methodology:
    • Historical Analysis: Study of early Yogic texts and their use of mantras.
    • Fieldwork: Examination of contemporary practices involving mantras in Yoga.
    • Cross-Cultural Studies: Comparison of mantras and Yoga across different traditions and modern practices.
  • Outcomes:
    • Analysis of the role of mantras in Yogic practices and their soteriological functions.
    • Study of global spiritual practices related to mantras and Yoga.
    • Publications and contributions to the project’s digital archives.

TASK FORCE 2: Sonic Efficacy

Led by PI Lorea

This task force focuses on the role of sound in religious practices, examining how mantras and other sonic elements contribute to spiritual and communal experiences.

RC4: Religious Sound, Religious Space: Mantras in Sonic Soteriology and Place-Making

  • Objective: To explore how mantras interact with other sacred sounds and contribute to the creation of religious spaces and communities.
  • Methodology:
    • Fieldwork: Ethnographic study of sonic practices in various religious contexts in South Asia.
    • Sonic Ethnography: Collection and analysis of sound recordings from rituals and practices.
    • Discourse Analysis: Examination of public debates and cultural representations of religious sounds.
  • Outcomes:
    • Insights into the role of mantras in shaping soundscapes and religious spaces.
    • Documentation and analysis of sonic practices in various contexts.
    • Contributions to sound studies and anthropological literature.

RC5: Mantras from Below: Ensounding the Margins

  • Objective: To investigate how marginalized communities use and reinterpret mantras, often in resistance to dominant religious and social structures.
  • Methodology:
    • Ethnographic Research: Study of mantras in marginalized communities such as Dalits, Adivasi, and Muslim-majority societies.
    • Case Studies: Detailed analysis of vernacular mantras and their social significance.
    • Collaboration: Work with local researchers and practitioners to understand grassroots uses of mantras.
  • Outcomes:
    • Exploration of how mantras function as tools of social agency and resistance.
    • Publications on the role of mantras in marginalized communities.
    • Development of new theoretical frameworks for understanding mantra practices from below.

TASK FORCE 3: Materiality of Mantras

Led by PI Borayin Larios with SR Gudrun Bühnemann

This task force investigates the material aspects of mantras, including their visual, embodied, and digital forms, and their impact on individuals and communities.

RC6: Material Mantras in Popular Hinduism 

  • Objective: To study how mantras are materialized in objects and media, and how this affects their social and religious significance.
  • Methodology:
    • Material Culture Studies: Analysis of mantra-inscribed objects and their uses in various contexts.
    • Fieldwork: Investigation of mantra artifacts in urban centers like Mumbai and Pune.
    • Exhibition: Collaboration with museums to showcase mantra artifacts.
  • Outcomes:
    • Analysis of the materiality of mantras and their socio-political implications.
    • Interactive exhibition on material mantras.
    • Publications on the commodification and global circulation of mantras.

RC7: Digital Mantras

  • Objective: To explore how mantras are represented and utilized in digital spaces and how this affects religious practices and communities.
  • Methodology:
    • Digital Ethnography: Study of mantras on social media platforms and digital media.
    • Case Studies: Analysis of digital practices related to charismatic movements and Hindu nationalist groups.
    • Collaborations: Work with researchers on digital religion and media studies.
  • Outcomes:
    • Understanding of how digital formats reshape religious practices and communities.
    • Publications on the role of digital media in the spread and transformation of mantras.
    • Contributions to discussions on digital religion and media studies.

RC8: Visible Mantras

  • Objective: To examine the visual and written representations of mantras in Hindu and Jain traditions, past and present.
  • Methodology:
    • Visual Analysis: Study of mantras on textiles, amulets, and other objects.
    • Field Research: Investigation of the use of mantras in ritual and everyday contexts.
    • Collaborations: Work with experts in art history and critical museology.
  • Outcomes:
    • Analysis of how visual representations of mantras reflect and shape religious practices.
    • Publications and exhibitions on the visual materiality of mantras.
    • Contributions to the understanding of mantra as a visual and embodied practice.